Dinosaurs the great hope for Qld town

With vast areas of Queensland's outback in drought it's hard for many locals to make ends meet. But one town suffering from the big dry is bustling at this time of the year - all because of some very, very old animals. Dinosaur fossils are a big tourist attraction in Winton.

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TONY EASTLEY: With vast areas of Queensland's outback in drought it's hard for many locals to make ends meet.

But one town suffering from the big dry like so many other places is bustling at this time of the year - all because of some very, very old animals.

From Winton, Chrissy Arthur reports.

VERN DAVIS: Okay, ladies and gentleman, girls and boys, what you're looking at there is unique. You won't see anything like this, anywhere else in the world.

CHRISSY ARTHUR: In the heart of Queensland's outback lies Lark Quarry, near Winton. It's the only place in the world you can witness evidence of a dinosaur stampede.

Scientists say about 95 million years ago a herd of small dinosaurs was chased away from a waterhole by a larger predator.

Their fossilised footprints are now bringing a herd of a new kind - families with young children and grey nomads too.

Vern Davis is a tour guide at the site.

VERN DAVIS: There are 3,300 prints in here, 150 animals involved.

CHRISSY ARTHUR: You had a full house this morning, have you noticed the growth in the dinosaur tourism trade?

VERN DAVIS: It is increasing all the time - big crowds. I can't believe how many children are really and truly interested in dinosaurs.

CHRISSY ARTHUR: Among the crowd is the Stokes family from Hervey Bay. John Stokes says seeing the prehistoric site is an experience they'll never forget.

JOHN STOKES: You can actually see what was happening if you look at the tracks and close your eyes, and you can see the dinosaurs charging around the place, you can see the big fellow coming through and biting someone. This is Australia.

CHRISSY ARTHUR: It's more than an hour's dusty drive to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum. It hosts the largest collection of dinosaur bones unearthed from the black soil downs of the region and there's a big backlog.

STEPHEN POROPAT: You are seeing the culmination of eight years of painstaking labour. You start with a few lumps of what just look like rock, you end up with these magnificent pieces of dinosaur bone that had been just sitting there for 95 million years and when you see a complete vertebrae or a complete hand, it is just something else.

CHRISSY ARTHUR: Dr Stephen Poropat is working on a new type of dinosaur, nicknamed Wade. He says the visitors are joining in, chipping away with professional tools.

STEPHEN POROPAT: Every month this year has been up on previous years, so we are getting a lot more tourists through. We've had several days that have been over 250 people through the lab, so it's putting a bit of a strain on the tour guides, but they are loving it I guess.